The essay “Sex, Lies, and Conversation” analyses one of the important problems affected modern families and spouses: communication and interaction inside the family. Tannen proposes a traditional approach to analysis given examples of communication and illustrations of typical situations, and then analysis of these situations. The article combines instruction in writing and presentation making, emphasizing the rhetorical principles common to different types of analyses. These elements of the argument instruction include adapting a message for an audience; organizing so that the most important points stand out; using illustrations, and spatial agreement to supplement words; following traditional formats and structures of argumentation and analysis.
Tannen uses the traditional elements of the analytical writing that involve problem statement, illustration of the case and solutions to the problem. The judgments reflect the main theoretical facts of the eventual success or failure of the research studies. As this process shows, the author constructs accounts of experience and it is these accounts the readers are interested in. The author does not pretend to give “straight facts” on what happened to families and spouses or what they did. Indeed, Tannen do not believe it is ever possible to give “facts” that are separate from interpretation. Tannen only claim to recount the typical stories and add her own interpretation to theirs.
For Tannen, effective rhetoric involves the refutation that one is using rhetoric. This refutation raises questions about how families explain their own communication. The concept of interpersonal communication implies that shared use of speech is reciprocally related to membership in groups. One has to use language as others do in order to be accepted as a group member, and one has to think like a group member in order to use speech as the group does. Persuasiveness, though, is built into the very goal of communication between spouses. The design of any communication act incorporates social considerations and mutual trust between people. Tannen uses very effective arguments for something beyond its normal purpose believed to produce better text, although those providing the evaluation are not always able to say why the text is better. This evaluation suggests that persuasiveness, as embodied in analysis of actions, is valued even in a type that is most often used to report past actions and schedule future ones
I agree with her assertions as they help to inform and persuade readers. The different views of facts–as directly describing a modern reality or as proof produced and used persuasively–are reinforced by the different sources of learning that are most important to the readers: existing texts and experienced colleagues. The established criteria are usually arguable in an obvious way. On the other hand, criteria for arguments and factual materials, such as reliability or effectiveness, are more important at the level of the reader who evaluates and assessed the proposed arguments and data.
In sum, Tannen develops an effective analytical essay based on clear argumentation and analysis supported by real life examples and illustrations. The uniqueness and effectiveness of her approach is that each reader interpreted what coworkers and existing texts taught him about family communication discourse and struggled to become the kind of psychologist his interpretation led him to envision. The criteria for arguments tend to be more influential when readers make decisions and the author persuades them in her position.
Works Cited
Tannen, D. Sex, Lies, and Conversation.